It’s worse than waiting for water to boil. But not as bad as watching paint dry.

At least with the former, you have something to eat at the end of the process.

Finally, after six days of staring, cajoling and mumbling, it happened: One of the “pots” had sprouts.

Someone who starts a vegetable garden from seed either has too much time on their hands or is cheap. Hmm, pretty sure I know which category I lean toward.

When I drive through the Times News coverage area and see the expansive farms and the well-maintained, and in some cases huge, gardens, I’m envious. It takes discipline, patience and diligence to have a garden. I need to work on that second quality - “Grow, darn-it!”

My significant other and I have tended to a garden the last two years, but we took the easy way to our bounty - went to the garden center, bought the plants and stuck them in the ground. Hung out by the pool for a few weekends and then reaped the harvest - sometimes plentiful (basil last year) and sometimes skimpy (tomatoes last year).

This year, we decided to start the garden from seed, but at my apartment, which for being in a city is actually a perfect place to start seed pots.

Why?

Because I have 10, eight-foot tall, south-facing windows. On a sunny, but frosty winter day, my apartment gets to 80 degrees by 11 a.m.

With the perfect environmental conditions, I’ll make Mr. Green Jeans look like a city-folk, I figured.

I found out that when you buy seeds, you get a lot of seeds. Instead of buying six tomato plants, I now have the capability to grow dozens because you don’t want just one variety. Oh no, you want the beefsteaks, the early girls, the salad tomatoes - you get the point. And don’t even ask about green beans.

In just two days, I started more than 30 pots, using about half the seeds I’d bought - in every container I put at least 3 seeds.

So now the problem is what to do with them? Our garden can handle about 30 percent of what I’ve started, meaning I’ll probably try to grow some in my apartment - the green beans will be tricky - and give the others away - yes, my Times News colleagues you can have some.

Perhaps the best advice I can give - this falls under the cheapness category - is don’t spend a ton of money on pots. Look around your house and you’ll find plenty of potential containers. I was amazed when I took stock of my apartment. I even used some metal mugs I’d picked up along the way. I never use them to drink out of, so they are now seed containers ... and expendable at that if I so choose. (Look closely at the accompanying photos and you’ll see some interesting recycling going on.)

I started my seeds March 1, which might have been a bit early, but it’s not too late for you to try your hand at this personality-exploring hobby. All you need is a love of sour cream, crushed tomatoes and beer in tin cans - almost positive this is not a doctor-recommended diet.

Warning, however. If you buy a lot of seeds, you’ll need to buy a lot of beer. ... It does help get over the disappointment of stunted green pepper plants.